Detroit — It got lost in the shuffle Wednesday, what with Justin Verlander announcing this was going to be his last season and all, but it was certainly not lost on the Tigers that second baseman Gleyber Torres has seemingly turned a corner as he makes his way back from a second oblique strain.
“I love the spark in his voice and his excitement that he’s not feeling anything,” manager AJ Hinch said.
Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres is working his way back from an oblique strain.
Torres, out since June 16, has been taking up to 45 swings in the cage off coach pitching and doing full workouts and reporting no symptoms.
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“It feels good so far,” he said. “We’re doing the right things out there, just little by little. The swing feels good. No pain so far. It feels good compared to the first injury. It’s feeling way better right now. After full workouts, the next day I don’t feel any soreness. I just have to keep doing what I have to do to come back after the break.”
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The All-Star break, for Torres, is actually a bit of a problem. Because the minor leagues also take a pause, he likely will spend next week at Lakeland continuing his return-to-play program.
Justin Verlander, Jackson Jobe, Brant Hurter and Burch Smith also are expected to spend the break at TigerTown, so Torres should be able to get in some live batting practice.
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“Hopefully, everything goes well down there and then when we start playing, do a rehab assignment and then at some point join the team,” he said.
The impact of Torres on the Tigers’ lineup has been well-documented. He played 11 games in June before re-injuring the oblique and slashed .341/.413/.585 with a .998 OPS. The Tigers went 7-4 and averaged over six runs per game in that stretch.
The other issue, which Torres, a pending free agent, doesn’t want to think about, is the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
“Every year I’ve been in that conversation,” he said. “It’s not new for me. I don’t hear anything. I just know it’s part of the business. I just want to be healthy. That’s the only way I can help this team. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. We’re playing really good right now and we’re not far from where we want to be.
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“So, just recover well, get back healthy and help the team and we’ll see how it’s going to be.”
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Gleyber Torres’ recovery with Tigers has seemingly taken positive turn
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